Calls continue to grow for the City of London to make improvements at the intersection of Wonderland Road and Glanworth Drive. The MPP for Elgin-Middlesex-London is the latest to raise safety concerns about the rural south London crossing. “It’s dangerous,” said Rob Flack. With the area surrounded by farmland, the intersection has long served the agricultural community. In recent years, however, Wonderland Road has become a heavily used commuter route between London and St. Thomas. “I’ve talked to a lot of my farmer friends. They’re up and down combining right now. Safety is paramount. We need to do something now,” Flack said. His comments come after what area farmers describe as a significant increase in serious collisions at the intersection in recent years, including multiple crashes over the Thanksgiving weekend, according to area farmer Richard Smibert. “We need to be able to use the road and not have to fear for our lives,” Smibert said. He is among several area farmers calling for both immediate and long-term safety improvements. “We need traffic lights to slow down the traffic, stop the traffic, allow for breaks in the traffic and the congestion. Or a roundabout. I know that will take time, but we need something now,” he added. The city points to a Ministry of Transportation construction project as a contributing factor. Colonel Talbot Road is closed at Glanworth Drive as part of reconstruction work on the Highway 401 interchange south of the intersection. Traffic is being detoured onto Glanworth Drive to reach Wonderland Road as an alternate north-south route. Doug MacRae, London’s director of transportation and mobility, said the city continues to monitor the intersection but no improvements are planned in the immediate future. “We’ve really looked at every alternative, including short-term changes, but we’re really limited by the limitations of the road itself. Also considering operational risks of short-term changes, driver reaction to unexpected changes and then short-term changes again. Our recommended path forward is an intersection fully improved that meets standards,” MacRae said. He said that could include traffic signals or a roundabout in the future. However, advocates say maintaining the status quo should not be an option. “We just need somebody to step up, take a leadership role and let’s get this done,” Smibert said. “We would seriously ask the city to fulfill its obligation with respect to that crossing,” Flack added. In the meantime, the Colonel Talbot Road interchange is expected to reopen in late November.
